(Concluded from p. 184)
James the Apostle tells us that man has succeeded in taming every species of beast, bird, reptile and fish. But there is one outstanding failure, one thing that no man can tame. It is described as an "unruly evil"-it is wild. It is "full of deadly poison," like a serpent. This "little member" that has gained such a reputation for itself is the Tongue. It "boasts great things," and is capable of expressing the whole gamut of human thought from the height of blessing God to the depth of cursing men.
As a rudder steers a ship to its destination and a bit guides a horse, so the tongue exercises an enormous influence over our eventual destination. "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matt. 12:37). It is therefore futile to furbish our weapons against all the beasts that confront us, if we fail to face this thing that is worse than a wild beast and worse than a serpent, because it unites in itself the deadly characteristics of both.
Perhaps the commonest sin of all is committed with the tongue, that of lying. It has of necessity to accompany most other sins, and if its ready services were not available, a great many sins would perforce have to be eliminated-they could not get on without it. That is why the tongue is, as it were, a strategic point in our heart's fortress-a key position. It is said of the wicked:"They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 53:3), and doubtless the first sin committed by millions of children is a lie. There is probably hardly a life that would not be purer, stronger and more blessed, if a clearer and more definite determination were made to avoid anything like a lie in speech or life.
It is most significant that, when a list of sinners is given, whose part shall be in the "second death," each class is merely mentioned, until we come to the last-named and crowning sin, that of lying. Here additional emphasis is laid on the fact that "ALL" liars shall thus find the only place morally suitable for them (Rev. 21:8).
Lying is so heinous and yet so common a sin that we must take special precautions against it. Let every Christian avoid most carefully such a thing as "telling lies for fun." God's opinion of such an amusement is forcibly expressed in Proverbs 26:18,19:"As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbor and saith:Am not I in sport?" If our wits are so exceedingly dull that we cannot find an outlet for healthy humor without descending to deception, then we had better leave off trying to be funny.
Exaggeration is another very common form of lying. The desire to impress or interest their hearers leads many unwary souls into this trap.
There are many things said about our Lord Jesus which show that His perfections were expressed in His speech. "Grace was poured into Sis lips" (cf. Ps. 45:2), and, as a natural consequence, we read that those who heard Him "wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth" (Luke 4:22). There were times when He could be dumb "as a sheep before her shearers," but when He did speak, "never man spake like this Man" (John 7:46), for there was no deceit in His mouth (Isa. 53:9). With Him, as with us, His speech was the criterion of His character-"His mouth is most sweet:yea, He is altogether lovely" (Song 5:16). This answers to James' statement:"If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man" (James 3:2). The purpose for which God "made man's mouth" was that we might speak with sincerity and truthfulness, making our words the plain, undistorted reflection of our thoughts.
The first step towards a spiritual recovery is to accept this ideal as one worth making sacrifices for. If we are not entirely convinced that it is absolutely necessary for our spiritual life and health, and above all an essential pre-equipment for the part we shall take in Christ's future kingdom, when the dead shall arise and we shall put on immortality, then there is little hope of victory. We must therefore look facts straight in the face with unflinching courage and with the steel-edged determination in Christ's strength to avoid side-tracks and the easy path of self-justification. Thus shall the victory be gained.
"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," said our Lord. If the heart is truly surrendered to Him, the mouth will follow suit. When Elijah restored the Shunammite's son to life, he "put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands" (2 Kings 4:34). Thus will our Lord identify Himself with those to whom He gives new life.
Does not your heart cry out, like the first outburst of the Bride in the Song of Solomon:"Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth," so that your speech, or your silence, may be as His?
Some people are not nearly so unbusinesslike and dishonest in ordinary affairs as they are in their spiritual life. On principle they would never dream of selling a piece of furniture or a car, and then appropriating it to their own use without permission from the new owner. Yet it does not occur to them that it is just as dishonest to devote to selfish uses that which has definitely been bought by the precious blood of Christ and belongs entirely to Him. My tongue is Christ's, and so is yours. Let this be definitely and practically acknowledged, and we shall find that He can tame that which no man can tame. He can tame the whole "wild ass" and therefore also its tongue.
CONCLUSION
David practiced on the lion and the bear, and finally, in the time of greater crisis, laid Goliath in the dust. So our fighting with beasts now is preparing us for the time when God shall bruise Satan under our feet.
David and his men reaped in the flourishing days of the Kingdom the fruit of the hard, stern self-denial of Adullam and Engedi. So shall we find that it is to our eternal advantage to fight manfully the "beasts" that seek to wreck our Christian lives.
"If the dead rise not – let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."
Ah, yes! But IF THE DEAD RISE, let us wage an unrelenting, daily warfare against these "beasts," for to-morrow-
Who knows? Author Gook
The four papers, of which this one is the last, may be had in pamphlet form, as per announcement on the cover of this magazine.